Brian Sabean on Beltran: “Hopefully this shows we mean business”

Giants GM Brian Sabean just held a conference call to discuss the acquisition of Carlos Beltran, which is official. The Mets are getting top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler and kicking in roughly two-thirds of the $6 million still owed to Beltran this season.

The major news points, then on to the Sabean transcript, with the best stuff bolded for easy reading…

–Sabean said the organization has to be serious about defending its title. The city, fans and the players deserved an acquisition like this.

–The Giants decided to give up Wheeler only after vice president Dick Tidrow, Sabean’s most trusted advisor and the Henry Ford of pitching development, assured him that the farm system has enough power arms to absorb the loss.

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–Sabean hopes to use the $4 million in savings to help the club in other areas, but the market for a catcher or shortstop has not gotten any riper. If the Giants can address those positions, it’s more likely to happen with waiver deals or claims in August. Sabean is still looking for offense, though.

-Bill Hall was activated from the 15-day DL and designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster space for Beltran. The Giants still must option a player to create a 25-man roster space today, but it won’t be Brandon Belt who goes down. Sabean deferred to Manager Bruce Bochy, but said Belt is likely to play a role similar to what Travis Ishikawa did for last year’s club.

On to the transcript…

Sabean: “Simply put, we’re thrilled with bringing Carlos on board. We really felt the organization needed a shot in the arm and moreso our lineup. There was a lot of diligence to put this in motion. We duly note we gave up a really good prospect but we’re in an interesting place and time. We’re trying to get back to the playoffs, and like last year, take our chances. We really felt we needed the help. We owed it to the city, we owed it to the players on the field and in a lot of ways, as defending World Series champions, you have to try to defend it any way you can.

Q: When and how did you make up your mind to sacrifice a prospect like Wheeler for a rental player?

“Carlos is the player we coveted all along. As we knew what the price of doing business was, we tried to create other options. It became apparent no matter which way we turned, we’d take a hit on our prospect list. In this case, as we were getting close to make the deal, we crossed the bridge with trading a pitcher over a position player with almost equal potential.”

“You look at the (Dan) Runzlers and (Heath) Hembrees of the world, folks we consider with power arms, plus what we did in this year’s draft. Dick Tidrow does such a good job with pitching talent. We didn’t think Wheeler would impact our situation in the immediate future. So frankly, it’s our job to find or develop another Wheeler.”

Q: Did interest from the Phillies and Braves, two possible October opponents, firm up your resolve?

“We have scouts in the ground and you do play the game … but at the end of the day you still have to make your own decision based on your own needs and timing. In my notes, I was in touch with Sandy (Alderson) as early as July 1, and as I was returning from the White House to San Francisco, he called and we were able to rekindle things in earnest. We had the right name for them. We decided to make that name available.

Q: To what degree does the cash component allow you to pursue more help?

“We’re still in the market. The money softens the blow of giving Wheeler up and it also does help in having wiggle room to do something else. It was an important factor.”

Q: Last time Beltran was in this position, he made an immense impact. Is it fair to expect something similar?

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“The good thing is he’s played consistently throughout the year, had a real good July, and I think being in San Francisco, as we know, the climate is conducive to being fresh late in the season. And also we’re coming into a point in the schedule where he knows some of these teams and had some success, so I expect him to play the way he’s played. It’s new lineup and new surroundings but he’s a legitimate third hitter on probably anybody’s team. That’s what we’re getting

“And quite frankly, I never thought I’d say this, but when Buster (Posey) went down, I thought we were dead in the water in terms of trying to replace him. Carlos has a chance to do that and he certainly has the experience.”

Q: Another question about Wheeler…

“Wheeler’s got a lot of potential. There’s some missed development time. Quite frankly, we go with Dick Tidrow’s advice and guidance. While he felt we were giving up a quality arm, he felt we did have inventory. Our sandwich pick, (Kyle) Crick, was very much like a first-round pick. We chose the pitcher because we’ve been pretty good at developing pitching on our end and we think we’ll continue to do that.”

Q: Any more developing on the catcher and shortstop fronts?

“Not really. I don’t know that that’s changed. It might be subject to after the deadline and the claiming process.”

Q: Was Beltran playing right field a condition of waiving his no-trade clause?

“It was pretty academic and we made it apparent he’d be our right fielder. It was not a condition.”

Q: Is Beltran receiving any additional compensation for waiving his no-trade rights?

“In any case, you do have to accommodate the family situation, moving expenses, and we’ve made every effort to do that. Carlos was very stand-up with the Mets, saying he was fine with San Francisco. He and (agent) Scott (Boras) put us in position to do the deal. There were a lot of moving parts but the process was really seamless. I just talked to Carlos. He very much wanted to be a Giant and that helped out a lot.”

Q: Where does this rank among your biggest midseason trades?

“It’s timely, I’ll say that. I don’t want to sound hokey, but our fans deserve this as much as the team. Their support has been off the charts. We are trying to defend. We owe it to the players, too. They’ve done an amazing job under a lot of pressure and adversity. We’re in first place. Hopefully this shows we mean business.”

Q: How will the Beltran acquisition impact Brandon Belt?

“Bruce (Bochy) has been a genius at juggling things. People are going to need breaks. The good thing about Brandon is he can pick up a start for (Aubrey) Huff and caddy for him defensively, much like Ishikawa. We have seen when we get as many left-handed bats as we can, we have a better chance against right-handed pitching.”

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has witnessed and documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This will be his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants. A second title, Giant Splash, is due to be published by Triumph Books in April 2015.
Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

Awesome. Look, what’s the point of holding on to Wheeler when the world is ending in 2012 anyway?

@bleedorangeblk

Making Brandon Belt into a Travis Ishikawa type player isn’t a good thing! What’s Ishi doing right now?

sammyman

If (and only if) we can resign Beltran, this is a great deal, in the short and medium term. Hopefully he loves it here in SF and is willing to extend for 3 years at his present salary. Wheeler, in these next 3 years, though I wish him well (guys there is nothing wrong with a trade that benefits both teams, for what they each need in their respective situations), will not be nearly the impact player that a healthy Beltran will be. Even beyond 3 years, he may be able to move to 1st base and continue to be an impact hitter, with his near-supernatural bat speed (just a thought….but still leery to go beyond 3 years with his injury history).

Danya

“The good thing about Brandon is he can pick up a start for (Aubrey) Huff and caddy for him defensively, much like Ishikawa.”

Um. No. The good thing about Brandon is that he has the potential to be an outstanding major league hitter. Something the Giants have very few of. Something that Aubrey Huff is not close to being at this point. Yet the Giants are content to compare him with a career backup. Un-f’n-believable

How about?

too bad another prospect and a little less cash could not have netted reyes too. guess the mets really want to keep him and look good to their fans.

so, who’s next?

anthillunda2nd

Tidrow is such an asset to this system and team.

Keppinger is a bigger move also, everytime I look up he’s on base, perfect for Beltran to drive him in.

Glad to hear he wants to be here.

Peter

Quite a change from a few years ago, when hitters did not want to come to SF.

Dinero

Tidrow is the man – keep those fantastic pitching prospects coming!

SakUp

Awesome @ Giants Brass! Love the insight on the Wheeler Decision…..

Belt will not become Ishikawa…..let things shake themselves out….

Dinero

I love the insight too, the thought process behind the move.

It’s good to hear that Sabean actually thinks these things out, and confers with the intelligent and capable people around him. He isn’t just flying by the seat of his pants, as some on here seem to think.

Foothills Ryan

“vice president Dick Tidrow, Sabean’s most trusted advisor and the Henry Ford of pitching development, assured him that the farm system has enough power arms to absorb the loss.”

Nice quote.

“what’s the point of holding on to Wheeler when the world is ending in 2012 anyway?” Zombie apocalypse maybe, but get a grip.

Nice double by Huff late in the game but he should probably rest a game tonight and give Belt some hacks. Please.

Sanchie

Ishi is recovering from shoulder surgery he had in June. Best of luck to him.

Jdm

I see him in LF after a few difficult home games in RF, he can play RF away games.

Our Team

Anytime we trade our No. 1 pitching prospect for a potential 4 month rental, it makes me very nervous. However, I trust Sabean and Tidrow on accurately evaluating their pitchers and weighing the pros/cons on something like this.

PNWGiantsfan

Huff needs to accept a bench role NOW! Belt should be the starter if they are REALLY serious.

Can Carlos handle RF @ AT& T ??

GO GIANTS!!

http://giantwatch.blogspot.com steven harmon

@Sakup, I agree. Belt is a far superior talent to Ishikawa, and, if the situation merits, he can take over as a regular first baseman. Ishikawa was never seen as a long-term solution at first as Belt is.

Plunk

It’s about to get really good!

Expat

How about Belt starting and Huff as his backup? They should have dumped an outfielder at the end of spring training, started Huff in LF, started Belt at 1B and kept Ishi in his backup/pinch hitting role. Whatever, that’s academic now. I just want Belt to be given the chance to be this year’s Posey but now we have three contracts holding the team hostage (Zito, Rowand and Huff).

Jimbo

I’m getting more comfortable with Belt easing into the majors. He doesn’t need to be the savior of a weak offense. That’s too much pressure on a young kid. Let him get comfortable and he will take his spot when he is ready. They can’t ignore him if he hits 2 for 3 in all his starts.

Nate’sFanMom

Take heart. Sabean and Bochy may say one thing, but in reality things are “fluid,” to borrow one of their phrases.

Look at all of the times they said one thing and ended up doing what was needed.

My hunch is that Huff is on borrowed time. If he keeps (not) hitting the way he is, he’ll become the new Aaron Rowand—an over-paid part-time player.

lefty

I don’t believe what Sabean said comparing Belt to Ishikawa. I think he just said that to save face for Huff. If Huff continues to roll to the right side 7 out of 8 times, Belt will get more starts.

Nothing against Ishi. He was a good Giant and really helped them, especially in 2009. And who can forget his dramatic grand slam against Ubaldo in that turning point game last July?

But Belt is their untouchable top prospect. Sabean may say Belt is going to “caddy” for Huff (ugh!), but we’ll see what we’ll see. Either Huff will start producing or Belt will play. It’s win-win for the Giants.

I think I’ve fallen in love with Belt because of Showtime. Loved his riff on being “awkward” in last night’s episode. He’s so personable and intelligent and real. Loving Buster is kind of like loving Jesus. Buster is calm and wise and measured and never says the wrong thing. Belt is goofy and lovable.

SakUp

@Expat….this years “Posey” has jut been acquired, his name is Carlos Beltran

With Belt, again…let it all shake out….

Dinero

I agree with #21 and #22, I think Huff is getting phased out.

Rochester

Was Sabean relying on Tidrow’s “advice and guidance” when he gave away Liriano and Nathan?

Unless the Giants repeat, I have a feeling many who are now supporting this deal will be looking back years from now and wish it had never happened.

ChangesAhead!

Though a bit premature, think about next year (after the Giants win another WS!). Imagine the return of Posey with him taking on the role of first base (I think the likelihood of Posey back at catcher is very “iffy” due to the ligament issue not the broken leg). This would require a new catcher for the Giants -(a certain upgrade over Stewart and Whiteside – who are great backups, but one will certainly have to go) and then the lineup gets real interesting. If by chance they can keep Beltran imagine what that would mean for the starting nine! It’s going to get really interesting this coming winter!

Outta Here

frank

LOL

that’s right, everything in right perspective now

Dinero

The Liriano deal is the one bad one he’s made in the last 15 years, yet everyone trots it out there like it proves he’s bad at his job. I suppose you’ve never made a mistake Rochester.

The fact is, a move like this is a gamble. Nobody knows if Beltran’s knee will give out, nobody knows if Wheeler will make it as a pro. Could the gamble blow up in our face? Sure.

But you can’t say that it was only a good gamble if it pays off. If the odds are good that Beltran can help the team win – which they are – and we can withstand the loss of Wheeler – which we can – then the gamble makes sense.

There’s no such thing as a sure thing in this world, and you have to give something to get something.

Fact is, the Giants are a better team today than they were yesterday, and we have a better chance to get to and win another World Series. We should be celebrating. I know I am.

Go Giants!

joemets63

Sabean has to say what he is saying about Belt and Huff. Now that Huff has Beltran hitting in the line up, let’s see how he performs. If he does okay, then he will stay in the line up. if he continues to look pretty poor, then Belt will be given the chance to play and stay. The Giants did not pick up Beltran only to see the team suffer with Huff in the line up. My guess is Huff picks it up enough to play on a consistent basis. If not, then put belt in on a consistent basis.

At this point the only thing Huff has over Belt is experience. That is certainly worth something if Huff is playing ok, but Belt is better defensively, running the bases, plate disclipline and on base percentage.

Slash78

Brian “Buzzkill” Sabean strikes again. Ishikawa could have been an average offensive 1B. Nothing to get excited about but better then teams like the A’s, Baltimore, AZ and Pirates have. He certainly could put up better numbers then Huff is right now. And as much as I liked Ishikawa, he was no Brandon Belt. The numbers Huff put up were really good for him. They would have been career numbers for Ishikawa. For Belt those could be average numbers. Yet he’s the understudy to a injured hack. Kind of like Rich Aurilia being Jose Visciano’s and Rey Sanchez’s in 1997 and 1998. He only had to out hit the decrept FA Sabean brought in for two years before the 27 y/o Aurilia got the starting job in 1999. They were over 30 and “proven” are Aurilia wasn’t.

News Flash: Joel Sherman is the Master of the Obvious. Yes Joel, the Giants DON’T do any kind of statistically analysis and yes, Sebean has a one track mind, once he gets and idea he doesn’t give it up and yes, they go after players their scouts like and their scouts generally see what Sabean wants them to see. The beginning and ending of Sabean Statistically analysis is Batting Average and RBIs.

Nate’sFanMom

Okay, so what if Wheeler becomes a great pitcher? That’s part of any trade.

Look, Vogelsong didn’t pan out for PIT, but he was still great material. Now he’s back.

There was no way to get around the fact that the so-called “misfits” were just that.

Huff, Burrell, Rowand, Ross, and, yes, Torres, have had plenty of time. To hope that one of those guys would catch on fire at the right time was too big of a risk.

Beltran—even at 34—is a huge offensive upgrade.

As for Nate, if he keeps hitting, he’ll play. There is no way Ross is a better player than Nate this season. Nor Torres, Rowand or Burrell, for that matter.

HumBaby

“It was pretty academic and we made it apparent he’d be our right fielder. It was not a condition.”

What happens to Nate? The only reason he’s having the year he’s having is because he’s getting AB’s and playing time. If you move him to a platoon role with Cody, say good bye to the progress he’s made. What about Cody Ross? How is he going to get into form if he plays part time? Outfield should be Ross-RF, Nate-CF, Beltran-RF. Torres plays a gold glove caliber CF but Nate could lock it down. He has average to good speed and an above average glove/arm. Definitely all for the Beltran trade, just don’t agree with what’s been reported on how Boch will juggle the lineup.

Speculator

I think we all know the commenter slash’s m.o. after observing him for awhile. Always negative. Sabean ALWAYS sucks, no matter what. No praise ever given for anything. If you’ve ever had to live with a person like this (slash) in real life, then you know they are insufferable.

joemets63

Beltran is a legitimate possibility to sign here for 3 years after 2011. Imagine this line up:

Beltran is doable for 3 years. You just have to suck it up for 2012 due to Rowand and Huff coming off in 2013. Zito is off in 2014.

Jay

I’m all in – and I don’t thing they’d be keeping Belt if they weren’t feeling a little uneasy about Huff.

Hope I’ll be watching the game tonight and enjoying a couple of Belts – Carlos and Brandon.

laughing

You fans have just been suckered into ticket prices going up 20% and $13 beers,,,lol,,just keep flocking to that Giants store,if you do,the front office will take care of you

Dinero

hey, I’ll buy another orange jersey, as long as it means the Giants are perennial contenders

oil can boyd

no way beltran plays RF at ATT better than Nate- put him in CF and move Torres to LF- a great defensive outfield-

Dinero

and make no mistake here people, we are set up to be perennial contenders for at least the next five years. This is the golden age of Giants baseball.

joemets63

Ross is gone after 2011. So is DeRosa, Tejada, Fontenot, Affeldt (unless he takes less $$$), Whiteside and Burrell. Torres probably stays unless the $$$ are prohibitive. He and Beltran might have a connection.

Not sure Giants keep both Freddy Sanchez and Keppinger, but Keppinger is a nice steady guy to have around and Freddy is injury-prone.

Thank God Huff and Rowand are gone after 2012. Hopefully Giants can work a trade to eat some of the contracts.

I have given up on Zito going anywhere. best thing there would be a restructtured contract creating deferred monies to get some salary room for giants. Zito “owes’ at least that to the Giants.

Dinero

ok I should clarify that statement, 5 years does not a perennial contender make

what I mean is, with what we have, we can contend for the next 5 years at least. If the Giants brass keeps on the path they have set up for themselves, we can turn this into perennial contention.

Ok, I feel better.

TheCity

I applaud this move by Sabean and management because it’s bold. Bold, aggressive and yes it contains some risk. But that’s where life is lived to its fullest.

Think about how many teams there are in other markets who are just doing the minimum to get by and keep their fans just content enough so they won’t completely give up. Think about the teams who have cashed it in for the year, like the Mets. From that perspective, how lucky are we that Giants management has decided to make bold moves to improve a first place team? Damn lucky I’d say.

Think of the bold moves in the past, man of which worked out. Obtaining Rich Reuschel. Obtaining Kevin Mitchell. Obtaining Jeff Kemp. And some of you have brought up the ones that haven’t worked out. That’s part of the risk factor. But this has the potential to be huge. If if isn’t, I’ll still applaud them for trying.

Can’t remember who said this in another comment, but I agree I’m enjoying this and celebrating!

avwh

Well said, Dinero.

Isn’t it amazing how the team’s fortunes changed from “one last chance with only over-the-hill FA vets and Bonds” to now, once the Giants had some drafting success and developed their own frontline SPs and closer?

walt kovacs

crick? really?

kid is a work in progress

if the giants lose cain or timmy, they are in a heap of trouble…wheeler was insurance

right now, all they have that will be mlb ready in a year are verdugo and surkamp

Sol Rosenberg

Too bad for Bill Hall, but his consolation prize could be a world series ring for 16 games of hitting .158.

BochyTheGreat

Ross in Center. He’s played there plenty of times before. Nate hasnt… that leads you with a void at the lead off spot. But I dont see how Ross could be any worse than Torres and Rowand leading off.

walt kovacs

and i can see carlos playing in right on the road…but he really should let nate play in right at the belle

the league wont run on nate

Dinero

@ avwh

it’s a pretty amazing turn around really, in a very short period of time – if we’re being honest.

Slash78

Pickup up Beltran means it’s the perfect time to through Belt in there. He doesn’t have to be “the man”. That’s what they brought Beltran in to be.

I don’t get them babying Huff and leaving Belt on the bench. As of right now Belt is actually hitting better the Huff. And he’s definately better defensively.

avwh

Nate’s arm is most valuable in RF, and he already knows all the nooks, crannies, caroms, and wind at PacBell (w/o a doubt the toughest RF in the NL).

Let Beltran play CF or LF at home, maybe some RF on the road.

walt kovacs

regarding the liriano, nathan, boof trade…giants really did think they had the arms to replace those 3…they were wrong

i love tidrow….but i dont think the org is as deep in sp as he thinks it is

El Gigante

I don’t understand all the Huff hatred. Yes, he’s not having a good year, but that championship parade on Market 8 months ago would not have happened without him. Torres and Ross are struggling just as much, and nobody rips on them.

TheCity

I agree with your posts, NatesFanMom. One has to know how to read between the lines of a press conference. Certain things have to be said for certain reasons. The situation on the field is fluid. I’m thinking once Beltran gets her and sees how the players are flexible and willing to do whatever will help the team, that he’ll volunteer that he’s okay with playing left field at China Basin.

To me the best outfield would be LF Beltran, CF Torres and RF Nate. Rowand backs up primarily at center and Ross backs up RF and LF. If we have to start today with Beltran and Nate reversed, it won’t kill me.

I’d like to see Belt more at first too. But I can understand management thinking Huff might come around, especially now with the revamped lineup.

Dinero

“regarding the liriano, nathan, boof trade…giants really did think they had the arms to replace those 3…they were wrong”

really? I’d say our pitching situation has worked out OK.

Dinero

“regarding the liriano, nathan, boof trade…giants really did think they had the arms to replace those 3…they were wrong”

we had Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Jonathan Sanchez in our farm system at the time. They worked out alright I think.

TheCity

Thanks Dinero, beat me to it.

Dinero

“regarding the liriano, nathan, boof trade…giants really did think they had the arms to replace those 3…they were wrong”

oh, and we had Brian Wilson too.

The Wisdom Cow

I’d be a hell of a lot more excited if Beltran were joining a line up that still had Buster and Freddy.

I am bummed that Sabean seems to think this deal was “because the fans deserved it.” Poor spin, IMO. The pitching staff deserves Beltran and more, much more. We deserve entertainment for our dollars, nothing more.

—————————

Fit Panda (from the last thread), you must be right. Yet, seeing how the Mets tried to accept a much lesser prospect where Cleveland was willing to pick up the entire contract, only to have Beltran say no, there was a significant probablilty the Giants could have had him for less. Otherwise, Sabean could have given Wheeler to Alderson back on July 1st and had a month more of Beltran before he leaves for nothing.

I don’t mind paying to much if you feel you need to, and maybe the bad blood between Sabean and Alderson meant he needed to (given that Sandy did basically accept Sabean’s earlier offer with an AL team), but there was ample reason to KNOW Alderson would move Beltran. No way would Alderson keep him and get nothing in return because of the arbitration clause.

This is moot, and I will move on. I just find it laughable when a person blindly takes the post trade spin as gospel enough to play the “you were not there, you don’t know card” when it applies to them as well. At least I am trying to think for myself. I may be wrong (most of the time), but when a good argument is presented, I am not afraid to agree with it and change my own, an argument better than one that mimics Mychal Urban’s after-the-fact-spin-bullet-points or “Bochy knows best,” anyways. I suppose we should all just be thankful to God for the deal, but I prefer Cthulhu.

Expat

SakUp, I like the Beltran acquisition but it’s not the equivalent of 2010 Posey. Buster was a great offensive and defensive player they already owned and that cost them nothing to add to the team. Belt could be exactly the same thing if they gave him a starting role.

I’m not panicking or whining and I recognize that Sabean does a lot of doublespeak to not show his hand and to manage player egos. That’s fine. I’m just hoping that Belt is actually going to be given a virtual everyday role and they’re not going back to veteran obsession again. Remember how much they stuck with Guillen last year while Ross sat? That almost cost them a trip to the playoffs.

avwh

IIRC, Nathan had been jerked around a bit in relief (hadn’t found a reliable role, or used consistently in a role), Bonser was supposed to be “the prospect” in the deal, and Liriano was a lower-level prospect almost as a throw-in.

As usual, it didn’t quite work out that way.

Slash78

@Speculator, wow, how did you ever figure out I have a very low opinion of Brian Sabean? You’re a genius. A veritably Sherlock Holmes!

Yes, the Giants won the World Series, but no GM in Baseball has done less with more in the last 15 years then Sabean. You could say Billy Beane, because he’s one of the few that have been around that long, but he’s always had cheapskate owners and a horrible stadium. Sabean is no Pat Gillick. He’s no Sandy Alderson. He’s no Theo Epstein. He’s no Andrew Freidman. He’s no John Schuerholz.

The Wisdom Cow

Dinero, you sure about those pitchers all being in the farm system during that 2003 deal? Cain and Wilson, yes. Sanchez and Timmy, not so much, if I recall correctly.

HumBaby

Agree with El Gigante. Why is nobody requesting Torres sit??? Leave Huff alone for a few weeks. If he doesn’t hit with Beltran in the lineup, sit him. The guy busted his a%% last year and that’s why we’re World Champs.

Belt will get his time, maybe even this year. But Huff can still be a big part of this lineup.

Nostocksjustbonds

If the team meant business, they’d bench Huff and start Belt everyday.

Dinero

@ TWC

you may be right, I thought the deal was in ’04. Anyways, point is, we were able to withstand the loss of those guys. Just as we will be able to withstand the loss of Wheeler.

http://channelclemente channelclemente

I don’t think ANYONE can question the Giants committment to winning, ever. All this BS about ticket prices and stores selling stuff at AT&T, you think Giants baseball is a charity operation, no that’s the A’s and you see what you get.

Nate will see significant time in LF, let’s hope he finds a home there. Flyball sac flys to LF and line drive singles with men on third just got a lot tougher RBI opportunities if he fits. Beltran is not a HR hitter in parks like AT&T, so Scherholtz in the BO is a must to make this order most effective. Watch Bochy work it out and some of you might learn something new about baseball instead of carping about stuff you don’t really know a damn thing about. Sheesh.

For heavens sake, it’s going to be a blast! Go Giants!

Slash78

@Dinero, Nope. Sorry. Matt Cain was in the System, but other then that…

AJ
November 14, 2003: Traded by the Minnesota Twins with cash to the San Francisco Giants for Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan.
Lincecum
June 6, 2006: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round (10th pick) of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed June 30, 2006.
J.Sanchez
June 7, 2004: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 27th round of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 2004.
Wilson
June 3, 2003: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 24th round of the 2003 amateur draft. Player signed August 24, 2003.
Romo
June 7, 2005: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 28th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 2005.

So no on Romo, Timmy and Sanchez. But they did have Hennessey, Corriea, Matt Palmer, Pat Misch, Jack Taschner, Erick Threets and many more! Talk about depth.

Rochester

“Anyways, point is, we were able to withstand the loss of those guys.’

Are you sure about that? For example, in 2009, the Giants finished 4 games out of the playoffs. One has to wonder where we would have finished had we kept those pitchers you seem to think giving up didn’t matter..

I think many here are misinterpreting Sabean’s comparison of Belt to Ishi. He’s comparing the role, not the player. Belt is the long term first baseman unless Posey can’t catch. Then he’ll be the long term LF. Perhaps it is the angst that Bochy continues to trot out Huff when many feel that Belt is a better solution now. But having Craw and Belt as late inning defensive subs is much better than having them in Fresno.

realisticgiantsfan

Am I the only one who thinks Huff should slide back into the 3rd spot, with Beltran and Sandoval behind him? With Beltran on deck, Huff would see more fastballs. Beltran may see tough pitches hitting 4th, but few unintentional intentional walks. With Sandoval hitting 5th you have a guy that can hit pitchers’ pitches. As he has shown, he can hit unprotected. Not that Schierholtz is chopped liver. The lineup should be Torres, Keppinger, Beltran, Sandoval ,Huff, Schierholtz, Crawford Stewart, Lincecum. By should be I mean what Boch will post today. By Beltran being in there it will allow Crawford’s weak bat to sneak in there. Stewart has been catching most of Lincecum’s, so that’s an assumption. Torres gets the nod in center against the righty.

avwh

BP surely uses some version of WAR for that calculation, Clemente?

Slash78

@Dinero, they had 4 strait losing seasons. And as late as 2009 Sabean was signing the likes of Bobby Howry because of a lack of depth. That was only after Tyler Walker (originally a Met) was booed off the team. And who can forget Vinnie Chulk? Part of the Hillenbrand deal because the Giants were so thin on pitching.

ClutchUp

@ @Speculator said:, wow, how did you ever figure out I have a very low opinion of Brian Sabean? Yes, the Giants won the World Series, but no GM in Baseball has done less with more in the last 15 years then Sabean.

**********
- Thats already in the history books. Can’t go backward – only forward. Sabean and Bochy got a new and longer life from 2010 on.
Why is Sabean revered within the confines of what “he does” within the GM community.

- If he were dangled a free GM hypothetically then “George’s” sons in New York would say bye-bye to Cashman and “Sabes” would be back in his original organization.

- It only matters what Neukom and all the rest of the minority owners think of him….

(“…And Then He (TM) was Gone….”)

Rochester

channelclemente,

• averaged 92.9 wins before trade and 93.0 with Beltran.
• odds of winning their division improved from 80.4 to 80.8 percent.
• odds of winning the pennant improved from 19.6 to 19.7 percent.
• odds of winning the World Series from 7.8 to 8.2 percent.

So, again my point being, we were able to withstand the loss of those guys.

And again, that is the one bad deal that the Giants have made in the last 15 years. Get over it.

Suspicious

“• averaged 92.9 wins before trade and 93.0 with Beltran.
• odds of winning their division improved from 80.4 to 80.8 percent.
• odds of winning the pennant improved from 19.6 to 19.7 percent.
• odds of winning the World Series from 7.8 to 8.2 percent. ”

Oh, I really believe these odds.

These use less sophisted methods than the Weather service, which can’t even tell me that it’s raining when I stand under a downpour.

Slash78

Sabean is talking to the Dodgers about Furcal. Ugh. His numbers are worse then Crawford’s and he’s had two month-long stints on the DL. But he is 33 and a vetran. 90% chance the Giants trade for him and Crawford ends up playing anyway (unless they trade Crawford).

http://channelclemente channelclemente

Why the lovefest for Liriano?

Lifetime ERA 4.10, winning % .524 and WHIP 1.310, never had a WAR over 0.1. No hitters are nice, but they still only count as 1 game.

Peter

#75 Beltran was brought in to help repeat a World Series Championship. Not to win the West.

SakUp

@expat., key…almost. I put my faith in guys that forgot more baseball than most of us know. Let it all shake out, let is all shake out…….

The Mighty Sumo

Beltran should hit 4th

Fit Panda

Wow. Well if the computer simulator says it’s a bad trade, then it must be.

I understand the Brewers are the serious ones looking at Furcal, they seem to think Betancourt (sp) is a lost cause. He apparently helps them out at second with Rickie weeks going down last night.

Fit Panda

Sabean is talking about having the chicken cacciatore for lunch today. He’ll probably overpay by leaving too big of a tip, too.

What an idiot. I had the veal piccata in my fantasy league but I wouldn’t expect Sabean to know something like that.

http://channelclemente channelclemente

Mighty Sumo,

Why?

avwh

Liriano had one great season:

2006: 12-3, 2.16 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 144K in 121 IP.
He missed 2007 with an injury (don’t remember if it was his shoulder or elbow). He’s been nothing special since – and has never thrown 200 IP in a season.

Livefree

I wouldnt have done the deal as a matter of principle (no rentals, and no Boras clients), but it’s reasonable and the case was well stated. Best part: “It’s our job to develop another Wheeler.”

Rentals just have a very small chance of making a difference in the game of baseball. It’s the nature of the game where one player gets only 4 ABs and any short series involves a lot of luck one way or the other. The percentages presented above speak exactly to this intuitive point.

No Boras clients? Speaks for itself. You do business with liars and charlatains, you get corrupt yourself eventually. If players got that message, he’d be out of business.

hari

I was just now watching Mets-Cinn game and listening to Reds commnetators discussing Hernandez going to SF – may be Sun when he’s finished catching for Reds. They’re talking as if they knew it was a serious move by Red management. BTW Hernandez was just then a-b.
So Sabean is not finished with acquisition. The name of Dodger SS Fucal also came up for discussion, as part of Giants trade.

Let’s win tonite in Citizens Park with Beltram in Giant uniform!~

mitchvman

Glad Bill Hall is the guy to go.

As I have said I believe Burrell is an important cog to this team. Not necessarily on the field but rather, as a cheerleader. In order to keep him and clear room they should 60 day DL him ala Rich Aurilia. Let him stay out the year on the bench as a Rah Rah guy. He knows this is his Swan song anyway.

Furthermore, good news about Belt staying too. He has started twice since coming back and has had legitimate hits in both games, including a double and HR. also, this hopefully will push Huff to play better. Burriss is the obvious choice to go down. He is now become irrelevant at least till Sep 1!

Exciting Stuff!!!

Coastsider

As I said elsewhere: I look for the addition of Carlos Beltran to make the Giants lineup more than the sum of its parts. I also think that, with Carlos on board, now is the time to insert Brandon Belt into Huff’s spot every day for at least three weeks. Spot play Huff, maybe, but give Brandon some serious playing time against Major League pitching. He might do some damage!

The Wisdom Cow

Way to use the old nugget, Fit Panda. That computer simulator would have been programmed using objective criteria, weighing different variables, almost certainly more arguably correct than the knowledge those of us here have, but you go on believing spin from people with personal interest in SF fans loving the trade. That source is always so much more reliable.

walt kovacs

i have no clue what you guys think you know…but nathan was traded during the 03 offseason

only cain was in the system at the time

Fit Panda

If the Giants aren’t negotiating a new contract with Beltran, then it is completely irrelevant if Borras is his agent.

http://channelclemente channelclemente

Dinero,

makes a good point about a GM only being as good as the ownership it works for. Although I wasn’t here at the time, I thought the Giants were kind of broken down into the pre and post McGowen eras?

Suspicious

The computer simulation predicts that Carlos Beltran will be abducted by aliens on August 6. Hence, his limited contribution to the Giants odds of making the playoffs.

The computer also predicts that third base coach Tim Flannery will leave to join the priesthood before the end of the season. That will really put a crimp in the Giants’ plans.

Rochester

Suspicious,

You’re not standing under a downpour, you’re getting pissed on by Sabean. He just told you it was raining, just as he has suggested the acquisition of Beltran somehow guarantees a deep post season run. And, of course, you believe him..

The playoffs were a crap shoot without Beltran and they remain one with him. Giving up the organization’s top pitching prospect was an overpayment and just plain foolish..

The Wisdom Cow

From Jack Moore’s (posted on Fangraph) evaluation of the trade, which is pretty much exactly how I feel, great cost, but great addition:

“There is a lengthy debate to be had as to whether it was worth it for the Giants to deal such a prized prospect in Zach Wheeler, the organization’s second-best prospect according to Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein, for a team that had exceedingly high playoff odds already, but that will be left for another post. Regardless of the cost, there is little doubt that this trade has made the Giants a far better team. Realistically, a player of Carlos Beltran’s caliber was necessary to make another World Series run possible, and Brian Sabean, albeit at great cost, has put the Giants in position to do just that.”

Fit Panda

Rochester – where did Sabean use the word “guarantee”?

The song you’re singing about Wheeler is awfully similar to the one folks were signing about Tim Alderson. How’s his major league impact these days?

http://channelclemente channelclemente

hari,

I read that Hernandez stuff a week or so ago myself. That could be an interesting move. I got the feeling from Sabean’s comments and Baggerly’s interpretation, Sabean might not be done. Sort of an East Coast Shopping Swing.

Dinero

@ walt kovacs – yeah, TWC pointed that out. The point still remains, we were able to withstand it.

in ’04, Timmy, Sanchez, and Wilson were all in our system. That’s a fact. So that would fall under the “It’s our job to find and develop another Liriano”. Which they did, and then some.

http://channelclemente channelclemente

Cow,

I read that this AM as well, and I’d have to agree, but then I’ve been a Sabean/Bochy fan for a while.

mitchvman

AVWH 90.

Agreed!

The Pierzynski Liriano trade is often lauded as Horrid! However, really it was not that bad.

Pierzynski has had a good career. Him being a “jerk” is the only reason he did not have that career with the Giants. He helped Chi-Sox win a WS and has been “All-Star” solid through the years.

On the flip side Liriano was the key to the Twins side of the trade. What has he done? No titles! No Cy Youngs! No All-Star games! Nathan was really a surprise. He was a middle reliever with the Giants 3 years removed from being a shortstop. Bonzer was a throw in who amounted to nothing. Truth be told. Because of injuries all 3 of these guys career could be over in the next couple of years. Meanwhile Pierzynski (All-Star) will be remembered in 15 years those 3 will be mostly forgotten. Maybe a Nathan “Oh, he was a good closer for a couple of years”

Dinero

@ Rochester

if by “foolish” you mean a well thought out, calculated move to give this team a better chance to win now without completely mortgaging our future, then yeah it was a foolish move.

Dinero

@ TWC #101

I agree completely. High cost, but high return.

Rochester

Dinero: “in ‘04, Timmy, Sanchez, and Wilson were all in our system.”

The Giants didn’t draft Lincecum until ’06

Is this an example of your baseball knowledge?

Ohbrother

Dinero#28. Great comment. Did you guys know that our bullpen has posted a 0.59 ERA so far in the second half. That’s unbelievable.
The Beltran deal is a gamble but I’m all in 100%. I do think Nate should stay in Right and Beltran in Left because of Beltrans history of knee problems. I also feel the Keppinger addition is a great move. This is going to be a great 2nd half for Giants fans. Krup had a funny comment after last nights game something like ” the american medical association has determined that Watching Giants baseball is a sport for the fans because the heart rate beats 140 beats a minute for 2 plus hours classifying it as a aerobic activity”

Slash78

@Fit Panda, Tim Alderson’s MLB impact at the moment is about as much as Freddy Sanchez’s. A guy that turned into a double-A middle releiver for a guy who can’t stay off the DL.

CalBear

No one here has been more Belt crazy than me. I really liked Huff last year. And I was at the Parade. But, ferchissakes, Boch…wtf is w keeping him in there, hitting into DP’s or FO’s, whatever. Once in a while he can manufacture a sacrifice fly, or, ok, even a double….but, let’s face it, he is no threat to opposing pitchers. Now, Beltran is going to get on base. So, who is the threat to bring him home? Nate? Not really. He is developing well, average creeping up, with doubles, sure. But, does he scare anybody yet? Now, Belt, on the other hand, can launch potatoes into the water, or the Coke slide…AND hit the line-drive to Center Field 400ft sign like Nate. Further, Belt hits the off-field better, too. So, if you keep Beltran at 3rd up, I would help Nate’s chances by placing him in the second spot. Don’t forget his speed around the bases. And, Belt in clean-up, or Panda if worried about pressuring the kid.
I have another wtf? Sorry, but, I don’t get it w Fontenot at SS. I mean, Crawford is THE defensive infielder out there, and his average was creeping up slowly. Plus, he works the pitchers better, so, don’t understand why he isn’t the starter. Thoughts?
Lastly, about where to play Beltran vs. Nate, etc. I think Nate can play anywhere, and has the best arm, including Beltran. If there is any platooning, I think it should be Torres and Ross, with Rowan where and whenever. ( kinda weird how Rowan seems to come up with smash hits, with nobody on….).
And, finally, I have to agree with the “dynasty” idea mentioned earlier.
Beltran wants to play with a contender, and if our boys don’t win the WS again, you bet your ass they are gonna win this division and make the LCS. So, Beltran will be here next year. With Buster back at the plate, and, Belt, and, the best bullpen in MLB, and Giants Pitching, all you have to do is look at the age of the team to think down the road.
Hmmm….let’s see,,,Madbum, Timmie, Belt, Crawford, Buster, Panda, Nate…anyone over 25? 24? 23?
Opps! I said “finally” starting last paragraph, but…one more thing: for those worrying about the cost of Beltran…..how much profit is there in the franchise where EVERY SINGLE GAME is a sellout? oh, and, TV draw of the misfits? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

Go Giants.

Suspicious

All I know is this:

Carlos Bel-tran is the best thing to come along since Mini Baby-bel cheese, which is great on whole grain crackers with a glass of dry white wine.

orangeandblack

That’s about as meaning business as you can get. I appreciated Sabe’s candor about dead in the water re Posey. A lot of Giants fans (myself included) felt that way, and now we’ve created some searoom offensively. Let’s get ‘er done boys!

were in our farm system in ’04. So that is still the “It’s our job to find and develop another Liriano” category. In fact, I’ll take Sanchez for Liriano straight up.

You can argue the details all you want, the point STILL remains, we were able to withstand the loss of those guys.

Flap Down

What is wrong with looking at furcal? He is a better option at ss than fonte or kepp. One thing to note is at least the Giants had Crawford available to call up and Stewart …the braves had to go get a catcher …the next day…after macann got hurt. I am hoping the Giants stay aggressive and get another player or 2….I am just hoping sabean doesn’t trade Nate in order to make room on the roster. I also do not want the giants to sign Beltran to any deal, as it is sure to cost too much and be too long. Let’s just hope Beltran is healthy for the playoffs…along with Pablo, Kepp, Nate ….well every one but Huff. Burell can play 1st in a pinch? Just thinking if they insist on playing a vet, let burell get some time at 1st.

Anyone know what they are going to do about zito/ sanchez?..Zito can’t be moved, sanchez can’t be sent down…they lose a bullpen arm because of zitos bad contract? Again?…..

Dinero

and we will be able to withstand the loss of Wheeler.

Peter

My own simulations show the Giants boosted their World Series win chances by 20%, although the error envelope on that prediction are +/19%.

Slash78

Still trying to figure out how Freddy Sanchez was a good trade. Bad trade, no. Not good, much less great.

Played 25 games out of 60 in 2009. Got an extention. In the two years of that extention he’s missed/will have missed 153 games. And the Giants have him for next season too. Hard to make an impact when you can’t play.

It’s not as if he didn’t have injury issues before the Giants traded for him.

Wisdom Cow, re 58, did you actually read his statement? “We owe it to the players, too. They’ve done an amazing job under a lot of pressure and adversity. We’re in first place. Hopefully this shows we mean business.” Pitchers are players, last I heard. And the fan support he referred to is actually funding this ride, so yeah, the fans deserve it.

Amazing it takes 70 posts before someone has a rational take on the Ishikawa reference.

And who gives a flying f___ about Liriano or Nathan? We’re defending a World Championship here.

Slash, you are just an idiot.

http://channelclemente channelclemente

Slash,

Freddy Sanchezplayed in 111 games last year, a case could be made that it was the right 111. Remember the ‘snowcone’ catch

Flap Down

How the alderson for sanchez could be considered anything but a big win for the giants is lunacy. Sanchez was a top of the order hitter – plus an above average defender – for the only team in SF Giants history to win a WS. Alderson could be a 18 game winner for the Pirates this year AND it was still a good trade for the giants.

Do agree that the extension was probably a mistake…

Lance Newberry

(Long post warning for the short attention spanners)

Even with the addition of Beltran a major problem still exists, and Huff is in the middle of this issue; the continuing lack of home runs.

Last year pitching and power won the division, playoffs & WS; this year the pitching is there again but the power is not; Beltran is just one guy, and his HRs are going to go down hitting left-handed at AT&T.

If the Giants have any real hope of getting to & going deep into the playoffs they’re going to have to start whacking a LOT more home runs, but they don’t really have the guys to do that this year.

Huff has been really bad all season, but even when he’s getting hits his power has just disappeared; he’s not driving the ball at all.

Huff has had all season to find his groove, and if Belt wasn’t sitting there right behind him then it would still be a no-brainer to leave Huff in there because they NEED power from 1st base, but that HR Belt hit in his first game back a week or so ago was REALLY impressive; turning on a blazing inside fastball and popping it over the wall at AT&T. THAT is what the team needs, and Belt is here now, ready to provide some of that.

I agree that with Beltran coming in this is the perfect time to give Belt a few weeks to really show if he’s ready. If he hits it’s a boon that is desperately needed; if he doesn’t it’s no worse than what Huff has given them all season, the defense is significantly better, and Huff would still have time to come back fighting in September after sitting the bench and stewing.

I don’t think anyone “hates” Huff, but that 1st base position MUST provide some power numbers, and it’s been over a year since Huff has been a significant power hitter. Now is the time to give the kid a chance.

As for Torres, they HAVE to play him because he’s the only leadoff hitter they have. To me the surprising thing is why he has lost his right-handed hitting job to Rowand while Huff has been given a full season pass and is still hitting in the 3/4/5 power spots despite complete failure there.

The team needs a disruptive leadoff hitter just as much as they need more power, yet Huff keeps getting all the time in the world to “git ‘er goin’” despite an intriguing option behind him, while Torres has already lost half his job to Rowand, who’s not a leadoff hitter even when he gets some hits.

Why the double-standard?

The team needs both a leadoff hitter and punch from 1st base. They have an option other than Huff at 1st but they have NO option for leadoff. I say starting today they should play Torres & Belt almost every day through August, to git ‘er goin’.

GIT GOIN’ GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fit Panda

@slash #111: Freddy Sanchez contributed to a number of wins when he was playing earlier this season. The Giants don’t have a 3-game lead without him. So his impact is still being felt.

Alderson has done nothing at all for the Pirates this season.

al oha

Great acquisition by Sabean and the Giants’ Ownership, albeit 6.5 years after it SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

Although they deserve much kudos for making this happen, Brian Sabean and the former Giants Owners should have signed Carlos Beltran when he was a FREE AGENT in 2005. At the “in his prime age” of 27 years old, he was the rare 5-tool player who was perfect to cover the ground in CF of AT&T Park or was it SBC or PacBell, whatever. The Giants desperately needed someone to pair with Barry Bonds to compete while the window of his production was still in full bloom. I was hoping they would sign him or second choice, Vlad Guerrero tha off-season. The Giants chose to go cheap. I was utterly frustrated and disappointed that they let that opportunity pass them by. Think of the possibilities and all the excitement missed out.

The biggest impact, that still affects the Organization to this very day and will for another few years, is that 2 years later they decided to make a statement to “appease” the fans and signed Barry Zito to a $126 million, plus $18 million option for 2014 with a $7 million buyout Contract that has become THE MAJOR ALBATROSS and Team Salary Structure Killer. This would not have happened had they signed Beltran for the same 7-years $118 million dollar contract he signed with the Mets.

Who would have made a bigger impact? Who would you have rather had?

Today, WE HAVE BOTH! We only need the one.

al oha

If Peter McGowan was responsible for the Zito signing, he should have taken him with him when he left the Giants. Peter could have honored that Contract by making Zito a Safeway Executive.

Belt, Crawford, Stewart come in by the 7th inning of most games for defensive purposes. Ross, Rowand, Burris off the bench as PH and PR.

At this point, let Huff and Ross find their swings at the “driving range”.

I’m also hoping Torres is inspired and gets help from Beltran leading to a resurgence of his career and the sparkplug the Giants have looked to him for all year. In fact, the entire Giants lineup may learn much about hitting and plate discipline from Carlos Beltran, because they certainly AREN’T LEARNING IT FROM HENSLEY MEULENS.

Replace Meulens Now!

Fergie348

While it’s true that last year’s Giants offense rode a pile of homers down the stretch to win the division and eventually the title, I’d say it was more good fortune than anything. Being overly reliant on the three run homer to win ballgames has a corrosive effect on hitting in general.

One rather large problem with the Giants offense that remains, and has been a problem for ages, is the ridiculously low number of pitches seen. We have too many free swingers in our lineup – the overaggressive approach of the vast majority of our hitters makes it a pretty easy lineup to pitch to.

Hopefully Beltran (and the eventual return of Posey) will help with this. If you want to win tough games down the stretch and in the playoffs, you must get into the bullpens of the teams you are facing. To do that, you must make the pitchers work hard to get you out. How many 1 and 2 pitch at bats have you seen this year from Torres, Sandoval, Huff and Ross that ended up as a weak pop fly or grounder to second? Too many, I say..

Fergie348

al oha – you really want to see Torres leading off against lefties? He hasn’t hit a lick right handed all year..

Did we pick up Ramon Hernandez and I didn’t hear about it? I hope that’s true..

al oha

Ramon Hernandez will happen if the Giants can put 2 nails in Cincy’s season on Friday and Saturday. They’ll get a prize for that.

Eli Whiteside has become a liability behind the plate. Stewart is solid defensively but can’t seem to hit his weight, a good late-inning defensive replacement.

al oha

I’m counting on Beltran to inspire Andres into being the high on base percentage lead off hitter the Giants need.

In fact, Beltran may inspire the entire lineup, and get them to stop swinging at pitches out of the strike zone.

K&J

Sabean just can’t get through one of these things without saying something like this:

The good thing about Brandon is he can pick up a start for (Aubrey) Huff and caddy for him defensively, much like Ishikawa.

Caddy. He actually used the word caddy. As in Belt can caddy for the offensive train wreck Huff has become. He compares Belt to Ishikawa? I don’t know what…what can you say to something like that? This is like, four drinks in, BS bar talk. From our GM.

Wow. Wow.

Samuel

Huff batting 3rd, Beltran 4th, Panda 5th, in my opinion. Huff will get fastballs (the only thing he can hit), Beltran gets protection, and Panda will be unchanged because he’s really impatient, so protection won’t help him much.

Mills

Sabean just traded for Beltran and three quarters of this board is ripping him. Unbelievable. You people are so spoiled.

MadMattSF

We just secured the best available hitter in the big leagues and gave up a guy who’s currently pitching in single A ball. Any true fan of the team should be ecstatic. This board is polluted with whiners. We’re on the verge of becoming the powerhouse of Western baseball – we’re the defending world champs. We just beat down a fired up Phillies team IN THEIR HOUSE, AGAIN! Get your heads out of the history books and the BS stat sheets and get your swagger on SF!!!

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